Safety razor



March 15, 1955 M. GREEN 2,703,927

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Nov. 5o, 1951 l IN VEN TOR. Mafav Qzee a?) United States Patent O SAFETY RAZOR Martin Green, Mahwah, N. J.

Application November 30, 1951, Serial No. 259,180

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-59) This invention relates to improvements in safety razors of the type adapted to detachably support a thin double edged flexible razor blade.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved blade holder comprising a transversely arched supporting guard having a handle and a correspondingly arched clamping head or cap which are hingedly connected together in end to end relation, so that said clamping head or cap can be swung to open or closed relation to the guard, while nevertheless these parts are permanently connected together as a unitary assembly; means being provided for releasably interengaging said parts in closed together blade flexing and clamping relation.

The invention has for another object to provide the supporting guard and clamping cap of the blade holder with a novel arrangement of cooperative latching devices for releasably locking the clamping cap in closed blade flexing and clamping relation to the supporting guard; one of said latching devices being mounted in connection with the handle of the supporting guard and being spring pressed to its automatic latching position, the same having a finger piece externally projecting from said handle subject to manipulation for release thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide the latching devices with mutually engageable nosings so formed as to automatically adjust the closed blade ilexing and clamping position of the clamping cap, whereby to accommodate the latter to blades of various thicknesses.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of an illustrative embodiment of the safety razor according to this invention, in its closed blade flexing and clamping condition; and Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 3-.3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a similar longitudinal sectional view, showing the clamping cap released and swung to open position, to permit application of a razor blade to or removal of the same from the supporting guard; and Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the open safety razor, the blade being shown in dotted outline in its superposed relation to the supporting guard.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described Views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character indicates the blade supporting guard of the razor blade holder, said guard having a handle 11 dependent therefrom. Said guard is transversely arched in Well known manner to provide the same with a transversely convex blade supporting top face, and formed in connection with the longitudinal margins of said guard are suitably shaped guard lips 12 to border the respective edges of a razor blade, when the latter is operatively clamped to and upon the guard, The guard 10 is provided with a centrally disposed cavity 13 which is countersunk relative to the blade supporting top face thereof, and which is aligned with the axis of the guard handle 11. Said handle 11 is provided, in its upper portion, with a latch housing chamber 14 with'which the cavity 13 communicates. Formed in connection with the guard, to project upwardly from the blade supporting top face thereof, respectively intermediate the ends of the guard and its central cavity 13, are blade positioning lugs or bosses 15, which are adapted to engage the perforation of a double edged razor blade 16, when the said blade is applied to the guard for support "ice thereby, whereby to hold the blade against accidental displactment from its operative assembled relation to said guar Aiixed to one end portion of the guard 10, to project upwardly and outwardly therefrom, are a pair of laterally spaced hinging rings 17.

The reference character 18 indicates the clamping cap of the razor blade holder, the same being transversely arched to provide a transversely concave under face which is complementary to the transversely convex top face of the guard 10. One end portion of the clamping cap 18 is pierced by laterally spaced hinging openings 19 through which the hinging rings 17 of the guard 10 pass, whereby the clamping cap can be swung on and around the hinging rings to and from superposed closed relation to the guard 10 from and to endwise extended open relation to the latter. Formed in the concave under face of the clamping cap are recesses 20, which are positioned to receive the lugs or bosses 15 of the guard 10, when the clamping cap is closed to its operative razor blade flexing and clamping relation to the guard 10. Aflxed rigidly to the clamping cap 18, to depend from the concave under face thereof, is a centrally disposed catch piece 21, the free end portion of which is shaped to provide a catch nosing 22 provided with a downwardly and outwardly inclined catch surface 23.

Pivotally mounted within the latch housing chamber 14 of the guard handle 11 is a latch piece for cooperation with the catch piece 21 of the clamping cap 18. This latch piece comprises a lever arm 24 pivotally supported by a fulcrum pin 25 which is fixed to the guard handle in transverse extension therethrough. Said lever arm 24 is embraced by the sides of a guide slot 26 which is formed in the guard handle 11 beneath the latch housing chamber 14, and said lever arm extends outwardly therefrom through a side opening 27 with which the guard handle is provided, and which opens outwardly through the side of the guard handle from both said guide slot 26 and the latch housing chamber 14. Projecting angularly inward from the free end portion of the lever arm 24 is a latch nosing 28, and projecting from the free end portion of said lever arm 24 through the side opening 27, so as to be disposed exteriorly of the guard handle 11, is a downwardly and outwardly inclined finger piece 29, by which the latch piece can be manipulated. Footed in a transverse, outwardly open socket 30, which is formed in the guard handle 11 beneath the latch piece guide slot 26, is a strong compression spring 31, the outer end of which bears upon and thrusts against the finger piece 29, whereby to yieldably urge the latch piece inwardly to its latching position. The latch nosing 28 is provided with a chamfered top 32 which is engageable by the nosing 22 of the catch piece 21, when the latter is moved into the latch housing chamber 14 subject to the latching operation of said latch piece.

To mount a razor blade 16 in operative assembled relation to the holder, the clamping cap 18 is released and outswung to its open relation to the guard 10, whereupon said blade 16 is laid upon the guard, with the blade perforation straddling the keeper lugs or bosses 15 so as to be held thereby against displacing shift from its operative mounted position thereon. The razor blade being thus disposed upon the guard 10, the clamping cap 18 is swung around the hinging rings 17, so asl to overlie the guard supported blade. As the clamping cap 18 is swung down over the guard and supported blade, the catch piece 21 of the clamping cap will pass downwardly through the center of the razor blade perforation, and will enter downwardly through the cavity 13 into the latch housing chamber 14. The clamping cap 18 is thereupon manually pressed downward against the guard supported razor blade 16 and toward the guard 10, thus exing the blade conformably to the convex top face of the guard, and thereby bringing the sharpened cutting edges of the blade into properly disposed position relative to the guard lips 12 of the guard. During this operation, the catch piece 21 is caused to strike the chamfered top 32 of the latch nosing 28, thereby exerting out swinging thrust against the latch piece, which causes the latter to yield against the tension of its actuating spring 31, whereby to permit the catch nosing 22 to pass by and beneath the latch nosing 28.

The catch nosing 22 having thus passed beneath the latch nosing 28, the compression spring 31 automatically swings inward the latch piece so that the nosing 28 thereof en gages over the catch nosing 22, thus latching the catch piece 21 against upward or outward movement, and thereby rmly securing the clamping cap 18 in closed razor blade flexing and clamping relation to the guard (see Figs. l, 2 and 3).

The compression spring 31 is of much stronger tension than is the tension of the flexed razor blade 16, and consequently the latter is rmly held in operative clamped condition within the holder, ready for shaving use.

Owing to the provision of the inclined catch surface 23 in connection with the catch piece nosing 22, the engagement of the latch nosing 28 with said inclined catch surface 23 will, under the strong compulsion of the latch piece actuating spring 31, automatically regulate the extent of down pulled movement of the clamping cap 18 required to accommodate the` flexing and clamping plate to razor blades of any given thickness, i. e. to either thin or thick blades.

To open the holder for removal and replacement of razor blades, the operator, grasping the guard handle 1l, presses inwardly upon the finger piece 29, thus out swinging the latch piece against the tension of the actuating spring 31. Outward movement of the latch piece, thus induced, withdraws the latch nosing 28 from its engagement with the catch piece nosing 22, thus releasing the clamping cap 18. When the clamping cap is thus 1'eleased, tension of the flexed razor blade 16 is unrestrained, so that the blade quickly springs back to its normal flat condition. Such resilient reaction of the blade imparts upward and out swinging movement to the clamping cap, whereby the same is moved to open position, thus exposing the razor blade for removal and replacement (see Figs. 4 and 5 The hinging rings 17 provide means for hingedly connecting the clamping cap 18 in end to end relation to the guard in such manner that not only is there little resistance oil'ered to swinging movement of the clamping cap, but, when the latter is swung open, said rings 17 will also relatively offset the connected ends of the clamping cap and guard so as to fully clear the intermediate end of a guard supported blade, and thus avoid obstruction to removing or mounting manipulation of blades. An incidental advantage of the hinging rings 17, due to the outwardly olset relation thereof to the guard end to which they are axed, is that the same can serve, when the razor is in shaving use, as fender means to prevent blade corner scratches, particularly when shaving adjacent to the users nose.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. A safety razor comprising a transversely arcuate guard adapted to support a removable double edged perforatc razor blade, the blade supporting top surface of said guard having bosses to engage a blade perforation to hold the blade against shifting displacement, said guard having a handle dependent therefrom, a corresponding transversely arcuate clamping cap, laterally spaced hinging rings aixed to an end portion of the guard in upward and outward extension therefrom, the clamping cap having openings in an end portion thereof to receive said hinging rings and thereby hingedly connect said clamping cap and guard in end to end relation, said handle having a latch housing chamber opening upwardly through the guard, a latch piece having a lever arm mounted within said chamber in pivoted connection with said handle, a latch nosing inwardly and angularly projecting from said lever arm, a finger piece outwardly projecting from said lever arm and externally from the handle in downwardly and outwardly inclined relation to the side of the handle, said handle having a socket outwardly opening therefrom toward said finger piece, a compression spring footed in said socket to bear upon and thrust against said linger piece whereby to yieldably urge the latch piece to latching position, and said clamping cap having a dependent catch piece adapted, when the clamping cap is moved to overlie the guard, to enter through the guard and a razor blade thereon into the latch housing chamber for engagement by the latch piece, whereby to releasably lock down the clamping cap in razor blade flexing and clamping relation to the guard.

2. A safety razor according to claim l wherein the catch piece is provided with a catch nosing having a downwardly and outwardly inclined catch surface adapted to be engaged by the latch nosing and, under the compulsion of the latch piece actuating spring, to thereby automatically accommodate the locked down clamping position of the clamping cap to the thickness of a given razor blade engaged thereby.

3. A safety razor comprising a transversely arcuate guard adapted to support a removable razor blade, a corresponding transversely arcuate clamping cap, means to hingedly connect said clamping cap and guard in end to end relation, said guard having a handle dependent therefrom, said handle having a latch housing chamber opening upwardly through the guard, a latch piece having a lever arm mounted within said chamber in pivoted connection with the handle, a latch nosing inwardly and angularly projecting from said lever arm, a finger piece outwardly projecting from said lever arm externally of the handle, spring means to yieldably urge the latch piece to latching position, said clamping cap having a dependent catch piece adapted, when the clamping cap is moved to overlie the guard, to enter through the guard and a razor blade thereon into the latch housing chamber, and said catch piece having a downwardly and outwardly inclined catch surface adapted to be engaged by the latch nosing and, under compulsion of the latch piece actuating spring, to thereby automatically accommodate the locked down clamping position of the clamping cap relaltjive to a blade engaged thereby to the thickness of said la e.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

